Community structure and species diversity dynamics of a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China:2005 to 2020

Here,we characterize the temporal and spatial dynamics of forest community structure and species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China.We found that community structure in this forest changed over a 15-year period.Specifically,renewal and death of common species was large,with the renewal of individuals mainly concentrated within a few populations,especially those of Aidia canthioides and Cryptocarya concinna.The numbers of individual deaths for common species were concentrated in the small and mid-diameter level.The spatial distribution of community species diversity fluctuated in each monitoring period,showing a more dispersed diversity after the 15-year study period,and the coefficient of variation on quadrats increased.In 2010,the death and renewal of the community and the spatial variation of species diversity were different compared to other survey years.Extreme weather may have affected species regeneration and community stability in our subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests.Our findings suggest that strengthening the monitoring and management of the forest community will help better understand the long-and short-term causes of dynamic fluctuations of community structure and species diversity,and reveal the factors that drive changes in community structure.

Community structure and biodiversity of free-living marine nematodes in the northern South China Sea

A quantitative study on the community structure and biodiversity of free-living marine nematodes and their relationship with environmental factors in the northern South China Sea were carried out based on the samples collected at five stations in the deep sea （from 313 to 1 600 m） and one station in shallowwaters （87 m） during the cruise in September, 2010. Results showed that the abundance of marine nematodes ranged from 224 to 1 996 ind./（10 cm2）. A total of 69 free-living marine nematode genera, belonging to 26 families and three orders, were identified. The most dominant genera were Sabatieria, Linhystera, Aegialoalaimus and Daptonema according to SIMPER analysis. Results of CLUSTER analysis revealed four types of marine nematode community （or station groups） in the sampling area. In terms of trophic structure, non-selective deposit feeders （1B） and selective deposit feeders （1A） were the dominant trophic types with highest genera numbers and abundances, which implied that organic detritus was the main food source of marine nematodes in the northern South China Sea. The percentage of male nematode was low, ranging from 2.22% to 17.81%, while those of juvenile individuals ranged from 36.99% to 82.09%. For genera level diversity of marine nematodes, Shannon-Wiener diversity indices （H＇） ranged from 3.76 to 4.57 and had highly significant negative correlation with water depth. In general, diversity indices H＇ at the five stations in deep sea （over 200 m） were lower than that at the station in shallow waters （87 m）. BIOENV analysis showed that the most important environmental factor controlling marine nematode communities was water denth.

Social and Environmental Impacts of Maryland Oil Palm Plantations on Forests,Biodiversity,and Community Livelihoods in Liberia

Liberia holds 44.5% of the remaining portion of the Upper Guinean Rainforest in West Africa,which is home to critically endangered forest elephants and western chimpanzees.The forests are of vital importance for the livelihoods of millions of West Africans and provide key ecosystem services of local and global importance for food systems transformation and agroecology.Liberia’s efforts toward land reform through legislation and policies recognise communities’rights to own and manage their customary lands and resources.These include the National Forestry Reform Law of 2006,the Community Rights Law Concerning Forest Lands of 2009,and the Land Rights Act of 2018,and more.In May 2022,a program team from the Sustainable Development Institute(SDI)-Friends of the Earth Liberia researched the social and environmental impacts of Maryland Oil Palm Plantations(MOPPs)in Liberia.Twenty-three(23)key informant interviews(KIIs)and 10 focus group discussions(FGDs)were conducted in seven communities in and around the MOPP.They included farmers,contract workers,MOPP staff,local authorities,women and youth leaders,the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)Inspector,the Civil Society Head,and the Gender Coordinator of Maryland County.The team cross-checked information with formal documents as much as possible and took photographs and global positioning system(GPS)locations of areas of deforestation,pollution,and conflict.The team also used observation to monitor environmental pollution,such as affluent into water bodies and planting oil palm in wetlands.The team used narrative analysis and geospatial landscape analysis to analyze the data.The research finds that land conflict and deforestation have several negative impacts on communities.MOPP has not respected land tenure rights or followed Free Prior and Informed Consent(FPIC)standards,including resettlement without reparation and destruction of farms and old towns without(sufficient)compensation or restitution.During MOPP land acquisition and clearance,communities experienced the loss of their farms and the identification of villages as“village de squatters”,leading to restricted access to farmland,heightened food insecurity,and reduced income from cash crops to support families.MOPP destroyed high conservation value areas and destroyed secondary forest regrowth,which affected important biodiversity areas.MOPP is one of the four large-scale industrial palm oil plantations in Liberia in Maryland County.It has a palm oil mill in a joint venture with Golden Veroleum Liberia(GVL).Its 2011 concession agreement includes 8,800 hectares for industrial palm oil plantations.

Systematic Review of Community Type 2 Diabetes Structured Health Education (CT2DSHE)

Aim: This paper aims to evaluate disparities of type 2 diabetes structured health education programmes that is utilised within the communities. Design: systematic review, (a type of secondary research design) aiming to summarize the results of prior primary research studies on available evidence Community type 2 diabetes structured education (CT2DSHE). Methods: Research question: Type 2 diabetic structured health education within a community how effective is it? Qualitative Systematic review, defined as a way to get reliable and objective picture of current available evidence on the specific topic—(CT2DSHE), (Denscombe, 2021) through reflexivity synthesis of available data as an example. This is valuable in time constraints such as project assignments that must be met within specific time and also to bring together available evidence together [1]. Results: This review has shown that CT2DSHE is effective with seven out of the eleven authors supporting, three authors against and one was neutral, further showed that knowledge and skills acquired can last longer with patient activation improved among T2DM patients ideal for sustaining their self-management of T2DM. Conclusion: This research provides suggestive answers to the research question: “Type 2 diabetic structured health education within a community how effective is it?”, This has demonstrated CT2DSHE effectiveness in knowledge acquisition and improving T2DM awareness among T2DM patients, whilst evidencing long effects beyond the study times of 3 - 9 months period in relation to patient activation. Also Identified diabetes education self-management on newly diagnosed (DESMOND) patient as CT2DSHE program for recommendation. Patient or Public Contribution: This work aspires to contribute to CT2DSHE in these areas;Influencing policy decision-making for community diabetes care within the UK and world at large., Contributing to already vast knowledge on diabetes self-management and reasons why?, Influencing educators on how CT2DSHEP are designed, delivered by putting the patient at the Centre and bringing different perspectives on CT2DSHEP in one place that is serving users time of having to consult several resources especially busy clinicians [2] [3].

Community Structure and Diversity Distributions of Small Mammals in Different Sample Plots in the Eastern Part of Wuling Mountains

Five years＇ （2000-2004） continuous study has been carried out on small mammals such as rodents in seven different sample plots, at three different altitudes and in six different ecological environment types in the eastern part of the Wuling Mountains, south bank of the Three Gorges of Yangtze River in Hubei. A total of 29 297 rat clamps/times were placed and 2271 small mammals such as rodents were captured, and 26 small mammals were captured by other means. All the small mammals captured belonged to 8 families 19 genera and 24 species, of which rodentia accounted for 70.83% and insectivora 29.17%. Through analysis of the data, the results showed that： 1 ） although the species richness had a trend of increasing along different sample plots as altitude increased from south to north, quite a few species showed a wide habitat range in a vertical distribution （ 15 species were dispersed over three zones and two species over two zones） , indicating a strong adaptability of small mammals such as rOdents at lower altitudes in most areas and comparatively less vertical span of entire mountains; 2） whether in seven different sample plots or six different ecological types, Apodemus agrarius and Rattus norvegicus were dominant species below 1200m, and Anourosorex squamipes, Niviventer confucianus and Apodemus draco were dominant above altitudes of 1300m, however, in quantity they were short of identical regularity, meaning they did not increase as the altitude did, or decrease as the ecological areas changed; 3）the density in winter was obviously greater than that in spring, and the distribution showed an increasing trend along with altitude, but the density in different sample plots was short of identical regularity, showing changes in different seasons and altitude grades had an important impact on small mammals such as rodents; 4） in species diversity and evenness index, there were obvious changes between the seven different sample plots, probably caused by frequent human interference in this area. Comparatively speaking, there was less human interference at high altitudes where vegetation was rich and had a high diversity and evenness index, and the boundary effect and community stability were obvious. Most ecological types have been seriously interfered with due to excessive assart at low altitudes with singular vegetation and low diversity and evenness index and poor community stability, showing an ecosystem with poor anti-reversion. If human interference can be reduced in those communities at high altitudes with low diversity and evenness index, the biological diversity in the communities will gradually recover to similar levels of other ecological areas.

The Community Structure of Benthic Macroinvertebrates Associated with Spartina alterniflora in the Yangtze Estuary, in China

Benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Spartina alterniflora zones in the Yangtze Estuary, in China, were investigated seasonally in 2005, and their structure and biodiversity were analyzed. Twenty-one species were identified, across four Classes; 10 species of Crustacea, five species of Polychaeta, five species of Gastropoda, and one species of Lamellibranchia. Dominant species included： Assiminea sp., Notomastus latericeus, Cerithidea largillierl, Gtauconome chinensi and Gammaridae sp. Functional groups were comprised of a phytophagous group and a detritivorous group. The average density of all benthic macroinvertebrates was 650.5 ±719.2 inds/m^2 in the survey area. The high value of the standard deviation of the average density was a result of abundant Assiminea sp. at Beihu tidal flats. The average density of macroinvertebrates from Beihu tidal flat, Chongming Dongtan to Jinshanwei tidal flat decreased gradually. There was significant difference between compositions and abundance of macroinvertebrates along the estuary gradient （P 〈 0.05）. The density and biodiversity were highest in summer and lowest in winter. The mean biomass of macroinvertebrates was 20.8 ± 6.1 g/m^2. Biomass changed seasonally in the same way as density, with the change in biomass being： summer （Aug.） 〉autumn （Oct.） 〉spring （Apr.） 〉 winter （Dec.）. A BIO-ENV analysis showed that the mean grain size of sediment, height of Spartina and salinity were the ma- jor factors which affected the structure of the macroinvertebrate community. Variations in the community structure were probably caused by the population dynamics of S. alterniflora along with the variation in sampling time and location.

Soil nematode community structure on the northern slope of Changbai Mountain, Northeast China

Soil nematode communities were investigated in the Changbai Mountain in Broad-leaved Korean Pine forest, Korean Pine and spruce-fix mixed forest, Dark Coniferous forest, Erman＇s birch forest and Alpine tundra along different altitude gradients from 762 m to 2 200 m a.s.l. Soil animal samples were collected from the litter layer and the soil depth of 0-5 cm, 5-10 cm and 10-20 cm at each site in the spring of 2001 and 2002. In total 27 nematode families and 60 genera were observed. The dominant genera were Plectus Bastian and Tylenchus Bastian and most of them live in litter layer. The total number of soil nematode was significantly correlated with soil moisture （r=0.357; p〈0.01）. Nematodes were classified in bacterivores, fungivores, plant parasites, omnivores-predators, and omnivores according to known feeding habitats or stoma and esophageal morphology. Species richness of fungivorous nematode was higher than others in different vegetation communities and soil depths. The total number of soil nematode and trophic groups varied significantly （o〈0.05） in response to different soil depths. The fungivore/bacterivore ratio （F/B） and the ratio of （fungivores ＋ bacterivores）/plant-parasites （WI） also changed significantly （p〈0.05） in different soil depths. In conclusion, soil moisture is proved to be one of the most important variables affecting nematode density and trophic composition, and the altitude gradient does not significantly affect the ecological indices of soil nematode such as trophic diversity （TD） and the Shannon index （H＇）.

Primary Succession of Algal Community Structure in Desert Soil

The microbiotic crust study is among new focuses in investigating on the desertification control. Based on determination of algal crusts with different successive ages (4-, 8-, 17-, 34-, 42-year-old) and unconsolidated sand in the desert area, species composition and clustering analyses were carried out in this study. Results on successional orientation revealed that (1) the abundance of Cyanophyta, specially of Scytonema javanicum gradually decreased; (2) the abundance of Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta and a species of Cyanophyta, Phormidium tenue increased; (3) the biodiversity increased gradually with the community succession; and (4) biomass of microalgae increased at the early stage, but decreased at the later stage due to the abundance of lichens and mosses. But, the speed of natural succession was so slow that the community-building species was still the first dominant species after 42 years, except that its dominant degree decreased just slightly. However, successive speed and trend were affected by water, vegetation coverage, terrain, time and soil physico-chemical properties as well, especially Mn content in the soil appeared to have a threshold effect.

Bio-desilication of rutile concentrate and analysis of community structure in bio-desilication reactor

The original strain HY-7 was isolated from the bauxite mine drainage（BMD） taken from a reservoir in Sanmenxia Mine,Henan Province,China.The optimum temperature and pH for the growth of strain HY-7 were 30 ℃ and 7.0,respectively.The optimum UV radiating time was 20 s and the positive mutation rate was 23.0%.The growth curves show that strain HY-7 needs144 h to reach the stationary phase after its mutagenesis,which is 24 h earlier than that of the original strain.Sequence homology analysis indicated that this community consisted of mainly two branches：one sharing high homology with Paenibacillus stellifer and the other sharing high homology with Sporolactobacillus laevolacticus.The experimental results showed that the TiO2 grade of mtile concentrate increased from 78.21%to 91.80%and the recovery of TiO2 reached 95.24%after 7 d of bioleaching.The bio-desilication process can not only effectively improve the TiO2 grade of rutile concentrate but also meet the requirements of environmental protection.

Phytoplankton Community Structure and Its Spatial Distribution along Anhui-Jiangsu Reaches of the Yangtze River in Autumn 2009

[Objective] Surveys of phytoplankton were taken during the autumn of 2009 along Anhui-Jiangsu reaches of the Yangtze River to understand the species com- position and their spatial distributions. [Method] Phytoplankton species, their quanti- ties, biomass and the Mcnaughton＇s dominance indices were all measured and their spatial distribution characteristics were determined using cluster analysis. [Result] There were 27 species, belonging to 5 phyla, namely Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Cyanophyta, Euglenophyta and Cryptophyta, of phytoplankton collected and identified from the surveys. Results showed that Bacillariophyta was the predominant phyto- plankton with 16 species collected which accounted for 59.3% of the total species identified. The number of species collected belonging to Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, Cryptophyta and Euglenophyta were 6, 2, 2, and 1, accounting for 22.2%, 7.4%, 7.4% and 3.7% of the total number identified, respectively. At the species level, the predominant species were Fragilaria crotonensis, Melosira italica, Navicula crypto- cephala, Cyclotella striata and Chroomonas acuta. Phytoplankton abundance was ranging from 5.68×10^4 to 7.08×10^4 cells/L with its average of 6.01×10^4 cells/L. Phyto- plankton biomass was ranging from 30.43 to 34.73 μg/L with its average of 32.46 μg/L. Compared with the previous reports, the number of phytoplankton species was decreased but its abundance and biomass was increased along the Jiangsu reach of the Yangtze River. However, Bacillariophyta species were still the predominant species and the phytoplankton community structure had not significantly changed from the previous studies. [Conclusion] These results might be explained as that the water quality in the Yangtze River was deteriorated but had not come to the worst. The results of similarity analysis gave two clusters of phytoplankton community as Nanjing, Wuhu and Jiangyin sampling sites were clustered into one group and Tongling and Anqing were clustered into another group.

Macrobenthos Community Structure and Its Relations With Environmental Factors in Three Reservoirs in Tianjin

[Objective] The aim was to research macrobenthos community structure and its relations with environmental factors in three reservoirs. [Method] Benthic diversity and water quality of Yuqiao Reservoir, Beidagang Reservoir and Er- wangzhuang Reservoir were investigated in May, July and September 2011, respec- tively. []Result] Of all the 14 sampling sites, 22 species of macroinvertebrates were collected, totally, which included 6 species of aquatic insects, 7 species of Mollusca, 2 species of Crustacean, 7 species of Oligochaeta. The species of macroinverte- brates during May, July and September in Yuqiao reservoir were 11, 8 and 10, respectively. The dominant species were Chironomus sinicus, and Monopylephorus limosus. The average density and biomass of the macrobenthos were 132.43 ind./m2 and 50.09 g/m2. Yuqiao reservoir was mostly at status of premediate polluted, according to the Margalef index, Shannon index and Pielou index. The species of during May, July and September in Beidagang reservoir were 5 5 and 5, respectively. The dominant species were Chironomus sinicus, Penaeus vannamei. The average density and biomass of the macrobenthos were 218 ind./m2 and 2.70 g/m2. Beidagang reservoir was mostly at status of heavy polluted, accord- ing to the Margalef index, Shannon-wiener index, Pielou index. The species of during May, July and September in Erwangzhuang reservoir were 3, 5 and 5, respectively. The dominant species were Monopylephorus limosus, Chi- ronomus sinicus. The average density and biomass of the macrobenthos were 104 ind/m2 and 0.20 g/m2. Erwangzhuang reservoir was mostly at status of intermediate polluted, according to the Margalef index, Shannon index, Pielou index. The density of zoobenthos in Yuqiao Reservoir was positively significantly correlated with TP （P〉 0.05）, negatively correlated with NH4＋-N （P〉0.05）, positively correlated with COD （P〈 0.01）, not significantly correlated with other environment factors （P〉0.05）. There was no significant correlation between biomass of zoobenthos and environment factors. The density of zoobenthos in Beidagang Reservoir with NH4＋-N was positively signif- icantly correlated （P〈0.05）, not significantly correlated with other aquatic environment factors （P〉0.05）. There was no significant correlation between biomass of zoobenthos and environment factors. The density of zoobenthos in Erwangzhuang Reser- voir with NO3-N was positively significantly correlated （P〈0.05）, not significant cor- related with other aquatic environment factors （F〉0.05）. The biomass of zoobenthos in Erwangzhuang Reservoir with NH4＋-N was positively significantly correlated （P〈 0.05）, not significant correlated with other aquatic environment factors （P〉0.05）. [Conclusion] It is indicated that this three reservoirs were all eutrophied and polluted, and the eurephication extent change of water in three reservoirs is as follows： Beidagang reservoir〉Erwangzhuang reservoir〉Yuqiao reservoir.

Correlation Between the Animal Community Structure and Environmental Factors in Dongbei Cave and Shuijiang Cave of Guizhou Province

Mollusks, arthropods and chordates which were visible to the naked eye were observed and collected in Dongbei and Shuijiang caves of Libo county five times between February and July from 2002 to 2005. Four hundred and forty samples from Dongbei Cave were classified into three phyla, five classes, 10 orders, 20 families and 39 species or groups of species. Four hundred and ninety-eight samples from Shuijiang Cave were classified into three phyla, six classes, 11 orders, 20 families and 25 species or groups of species. Six animal communities were identified in the light belt of the two caves according to their species types and numbers of individuals in the light belt of two cave. The communities which have the highest values of species richness community diversity, maximum diversity, evenness, dominance and community similarity are respectively： B （4. 1059）, H （2.4716）, B （3.3322）, E （0.9042）, C （0.3442） and A - C （0. 5251）. The community diversity and correlation of environmental factors were also studied. The temperature, humidity, content of CO2 and N2, content of organic matter and some inorganic salts in soil were analyzed by Pearson correlation. The results showed that the content of organic matter in soil is positively related to species number, species richness and maximum community diversity, with correlations of 0. 885, 0.909, 0. 868 respectively （two-tailed significance test, P ≤ 0. 05）, and significantly positively related to diversity, with the coefficient of 0.611, （two-tailed significance test, P ≤ 0. 1）. This suggests that the content of organic matter in soil is one of the important elements influencing the community variation of cave animals. Outside the cave, temperature and humidity are important factors impacting on community diver- sity. As the temperature in all seasons in the cave is stable and the humidity is always high （above 90% ）, the temperature and humidity have weak correlation to community diversity in caves.

Community Structure and Diversity of Ladybugs in Baihualing of Gaoligong Mountain Ⅰ——Species Composition and Population Structure

[ Objective ] The paper was to study the community structure and diversity of ladybugs in Baihualing of Gaoligong Mountain, and fill gaps in research about ladybugs in this region. [ Method] Using sampling plot investigation method, the species composition and population structure of ladybugs in Baihualing of Gaoligong Mountain were surveyed. [ Result ] A total of 3 218 ladybugs specimens had been collected, belonging to 5 subfamilies, 20 genera, 56 species. Two spe- cies were new records for Yurman Province. The species and number of Coccinellinae were the greatest, followed by Epilachninae and Aspidimerinae, while Coceid- ulinae and Scymninae were the least. The dominant species were Coccinella septempunctata L., Harmonia eucharis （ Mulsant ） and Afissula hydrangeae Pang et Man. [ Conclusion] The study laid foundation for further study on ladybugs in Baihualing of Gaoligong Mountain.

Macrobenthic community structure in the Changjiang Estuary and its adjacent waters in summer

On the basis of data collected in the summer of 2006 from 27 sampling stations in the Changjiang Estuary and its adjacent waters, the ecological characteristics of macrobenthos and the relationship between the macrobenthos and the environmental factors were studied using hierarchical cluster and non-metric multidimensional scaling （MDS）. The biomass, abundance, Shannon -Wiener＇s and Margalef＇ s indices of the macrobenthos were presented. The results showed that a total of 253 macrobenthic species were found in the research region, and most of them belong to mollusks and polychaetes. The dominant species were Cossurella dimorpha, Eocylichna cylindrella, Episiphon kiaochowwanense, Nassarius semiplicatus, Ocstergrenia variabilis and Sternaspis scutata. The average abundance of the macrobenthos was （313. 15 ±233.4） ind./m^2, and the average biomass was （ 15. 2 ± 11.2 ）g/m^2. The distribution patterns of the abundance and biomass of the macrobenthos were similar. The abundance and biomass in the area close to the estuary were lower than those from the area more distant to the estuary; the central part of the research region had higher abundance and biomass than other parts of the research region. In accordance with the results, four macrobenthic communities with distinct spatial differences were identified. The low abundance and biomass in the area close to the estuary should be caused by the high sedimentation rate. The statistical analysis indicated that the depth is the most important factor affecting the distribution of macrobenthos.

Community structure of macrobenthos in coastal water off Rushan, southern Shandong Peninsula, and the relationships with environmental factors

To understand the present actuality of the marine ecosystem in the southern coastal water region of the Shandong Peninsula and the impact of the global change and the human activities to the marine ecosystem of the region, the macrobenthic community structure was researched based on data from 26 sampling stations carried out on four seasonal cruises from December 2006 to November 2007. The data was analyzed using PRIMER 6.0 and SPSS 15.0 software packages. The results showed that 236 macrobenthic species in total were collected from the research region by the field works. Most of the species belong to Polychaeta （76 species）, Mollusca （75） and Crustacea （60）. Of which, 33 species were common species by the four cruises. The dominant species were different among the four seasons, however, the polychaete species Nephtys oligobranchia and Sternaspis scutata were always dominant in the four seasons. The abundances and biomasses of the macrobenthos from the research region were variable in the four seasons. The results of CLUSTER and MDS analysis showed that the similarities of macrobenthic structures among the stations were low, most of the similarities were at about 40% of similarity values, only that of two stations were up to 60%. In accordance with the similarity values of the macrobenthic structures, the 26 stations were clustered as six groups at arbitrary similarity level of 30%. The ABC curve indicated that the marcofauna communities in the research region had not been disturbed distinctly. The results of BIOENV and BVSTEP （Spearman） analysis implied that the concentrations of organic matter in bottom water and heavy metal copper in sediment, water depth and temperature of bottom were the most significant environmental factors to affect the macrobentic community.

Soil Microbial Community Structure in Diverse Land Use Systems:A Comparative Study Using Biolog,DGGE,and PLFA Analyses

Biolog, 16S rRNA gene denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE）, and phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） analyses were used to assess soil microbial community characteristics in a chronosequence of tea garden systems （8-, 50-, and 90- year-old tea gardens）, an adjacent wasteland, and a 90-year-old forest. Biolog analysis showed that the average well color development （AWCD） of all carbon sources and the functional diversity based on the Shannon index decreased （P 〈 0.05） in the following order： wasteland 〉 forest 〉 tea garden. For the DCCE analysis, the genetic diversity based on the Shannon index was significantly lower in the tea garden soils than in the wasteland. However, compared to the 90-year-old forest, the tea garden soils showed significantly higher genetic diversity. PLFA analysis showed that the ratio of Gram positive bacteria to Cram negative bacteria was significantly higher in the tea garden soils than in the wasteland, and the highest value was found in the 90-year-old forest. Both the fungal PLFA and the ratio of fungi to bacteria were significantly higher in the three tea garden soils than in the wasteland and forest, indicating that fungal PLFA was significantly affected by land-use change. Based on cluster analysis of the soil microbial community structure, all three analytical methods showed that land-use change had a greater effect on soil microbial community structure than tea garden age.

Summertime community structure of intertidal macrobenthos in Changdao Archipelago,Shandong Province,China

The community structure of intertidal macrobenthos in Changdao Archipelago(north of Shandong Peninsula,between Bohai Bay and the northern Yellow Sea) was examined based on samples collected from 14 stations in five transects in June 2007.Three stations corresponding to high,medium and low tidal areas were set up for each transect.A total of 68 macrobenthic species were found in the research region,most of which belonged to Mollusca and Crustacea.The average abundance and biomass of the macrobenthos was 1 383 ind./m2 and 372.41 g/m2,respectively.The use of an arbitrary similarity level of 20% resulted in identification of five groups among the 14 stations in the research region.There were remarkable differences in the biomass,abundance and Shannon-Wiener diversity index of the different sediments.Specifically,the order of biomass was rocky shores > gravel > mud-sand > coarse sand > stiff mud,while the order of abundance was rocky shores > coarse sand > mud-sand > gravel > stiff mud,and that of the diversity index was mud-sand > gravel > stiff mud > rocky shores > coarse sand.The above results revealed that the sediment type was the most important factor affecting the structure of the macrobenthic community of the intertidal zone.

Effects of sediment dredging on water quality and zooplankton community structure in a shallow of eutrophic lake

Effects of suction dredging on water quality and zooplankton community structure in a shallow of eutrophic lake, were evaluated. The results showed that a decreasing trend for levels of phosphorus, organic matter, total suspended solids, Chlorophyll a and Secchi transparency in the water column was found, while levels of water depth, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids and NO3^--N concentration increased markedly post-dredging. The effects of dredging on dissolved oxygen, pH value and temperature were almost negligible. The zooplankton community structure responded rapidly to the environmental changes caused mainly by dredging. As a result, the abundance of rotifers decreased, while the density of zooplanktonic crustaceans increased markedly. The representative taxa were Brachionus angularis, B. budapestinensis, B. diversicornis, Synchaeta spp. and Neodiaptomus schmackeri. A distinct relationship between zooplankton taxa composition and their environment, unraveled by a redundancy analysis, indicating that the measured environment contributed to the variations in the zooplankton community structure to some extent. The first four synthetic environmental variables explained 51.7% of the taxonomic structure. Therefore, with the reduction of internal nutrient load and a shift in dominance by less eutrophic species, it inferred that dredging might be one of effective measures for environmental improvements of such lakes.

Effect of nutrient level on phytoplankton community structure in different water bodies

Increasing levels of pollution within water bodies can cause eutrophication and an associated rapid growth in and reproduction of phytoplankton. Although most frequently occurring in bodies of water such as lakes and dams, in recent years an increasing number of river systems in China have suffered serious algal blooms. The community structure of phytoplankton may differ, however, dependent on the hydrodynamic conditions and nutrient levels within the water body. The field investigation results obtained from a stagnant river in Suzhou City and Taihu Lake, China, showed that in water with higher concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, Chlorophyta became the predominant species and in water with lower concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, Cyanobacteria became the predominant species. Growth experiments with competitive species, Microcystis aeruginosa Kutz and Scenedesmus quadricauda （Turp.）, were conducted at three different nutrient levels. The biomass of algae in pure and mixed cultures was measured under conditions of different N/P ratios at oligotrophic, eutrophic and hypertrophic nutrient levels. The results indicated that the most suitable state for the growth and reproduction of M. aeruginosa and S. quadricauda were eutrophic conditions in both pure and mixed cultures. Under competition, however, the lower medium nutrient levels favoured M. aeruginosa, while the higher medium nutrient levels better suited S. quadricauda. Under similar hydrodynamic conditions, the community structure of phytoplankton in the water body was determined by the dominant species in competition for nutrients.

Biodiversity and community structural characteristics of macrobenthos in the Chukchi Sea

Field sampling of the macrobenthos from 23 stations in the Chukchi Sea was conducted during the 4th CHI- NARE （Chinese National Arctic Research Expeditions, July-August, 2010）. We identified a total of 140 species of macrozoobenthos belonging to nine phyla, which were dominated by polychaetes （66）, crustaceans （30）, and mollusks （25）, followed by echinoderms （9） and others （ten others, including four cnidarians, one oligochaete, one sipuncula, one priapulida, two bryozoans, and one urochordata）. The dominant species were Aphelochaeta pacifica, Heteromastus filiformis, Nephtys ciliata, Nephtys caeca, Scoletoma fragilis, Golfingia margaritacea, Nuculana pernula, Macoma calcarea, Ennucula tenuis, Macoma inquinata, Musculus discors, Echinarachnius parma, and Ophiura sarsii, so there were more cold-eurythermal boreal immigrants than trulyArctic species （endemics）. The average density and biomass （mean ± SD across all stations） of the total macrozoobenthos were （916 ± 907） ind/m2 and （902.9 ± 1227.7） g/m2 （wet weight）, respectively. Relatively high density and biomass were observed in the samples from the northeastern and southern Chukchi Sea. The spatial variation of benthic communities in the study sea area was relatively large; this spatial heteroge- neity has led to high diversity and a patchy distribution pattern in the community structure. Compared to the 1st CHINARE （July-August, 1999）, this investigation revealed different degrees of decreases in the average taxa numbers and the average density, abundance, and biodiversity in the area over the recent decade, which might be associated with global warming, human activities, and sea ice variations.